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    Home » Blog » Party Time » Party Themes

    Easy Pirate Party Ideas for Kids AND Adults

    Published: Jan 27, 2020 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Hosting a pirate party for your little buccaneer is a super fun birthday party theme for kids. Find the easy pirate games, fun tropical party menu ideas, and tips for making the event fun for both the kids AND the adults.

    Pirate party cupcakes featuring blue frosting with Swedish fish.

    The Peanut had her first birthday party with friends in our new home's backyard last weekend. Our birthday girl requested a pirate theme which presented just one small challenge: I know many of her sweet friends from school are not nearly as interested in pirates as she is. I had to carefully plan out the pirate birthday party to ensure everyone had a good time.

    The best birthday parties for kids include:

    1. Kid-friendly snacks and treats that go with the party theme
    2. Adult-friendly snacks for the friends staying to join in the fun
    3. Simple games that keep things moving
    Pirate party ideas for kids: All the food and party games you need to host the best birthday party ever.

    Host an Easy Pirate Party for Kids

    I quickly learned from our recent Valentine's party that kids at parties are far more interested in playing & crafts than they are the food. All those fancy-dancy treats you see on Pinterest will go utterly to waste when it comes to kids age 6 and under.

    Save your time and energy and use these simple pirate party ideas to keep the party snacks on theme.

    Pirate Party Treats for Kids include Swedish fish swimming on blue frosted cupcakes and Goldfish crackers in pirate cups

    Pirate-themed Birthday Treats for Kids

    Kids are very simple snackers. They want foods they recognize but absolutely love fun packaging. I decided to serve:

    • "Under the Sea" cupcakes: Simple box-mix cupcakes frosted with a swirl of blue-tinted buttercream and topped with a Swedish Fish candy. I baked them in red-and-white striped and blue polka-dotted cupcake wrappers to match the pirate theme.
    • Goldfish crackers: Served in pirate beverage cups I picked up at the party supply store
    • Fruit Swords: Strawberry and pineapple served on sword-shaped skewers
    • Juice Boxes: You could add a pirate-themed sticker, or not.

    Serving trick: Stagger the cupcakes and cups of Goldfish crackers on a cupcake serving tier for a fun presentation. 

    Pirate-themed Birthday Treats for Adults

    If your kids are young enough, it is likely the other parents will want to hang out at the party rather than do a drop-off. While kids are absolutely content with goldfish and fruit, you might want to serve a few fancier treats for the adults to enjoy, too.

    Tropical party foods for adults include piña colada dip with fresh fruit, cilantro lime ranch dip with sweet potato chips, and roasted shrimp with limes.

    I decided to go with a tropical food theme for the adult goodies. This may have been selfishly motivated, I was so excited to have other grown-ups to enjoy some party treats with me that I know the kids won't touch!

    • Roasted shrimp cocktail: This is one of my very favorite party appetizers. We serve it all year long.
    • Cilantro lime ranch dip with sweet potato chips: This dressing recipe is one of my very favorites. Spicy, but not too-spicy and it goes so well with the sweet potatoes!
    • Piña colada dip with fresh strawberries and pineapple: We had plenty of cupcakes to go around, but many adults prefer something a little more complex for their dessert. The coconut-pineapple combo is one of my favorites. Don't forget the spicy gingersnap cookies to go with it!

    All the treats can easily be made ahead of the party and just put out on serving trays minutes before everyone arrives. They are the perfect low-stress appetizers to share.

    • A serving bowl with creamy tropical bacon dip has fresh parsley for garnish on top. Butter crackers surround the bowl.
      Tropical Cheese and Bacon Dip
    • A serving bowl of roasted pineapple and pepper chunks sits in front of a roasting pan with spatula.
      Roasted Peppers and Pineapple
    • A blue plate with roasted shrimp next to lime wedges. Fresh parsley is sprinkled over the top. A blue napkin is under the plate.
      How to Cook Frozen Shrimp
    • A mason jar with creamy homemade ranch dressing has a spoon showing the texture in a drip.
      Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing
    • A ruffled bowl of pina colada dip has shredded coconut on top and is surrounded by fresh strawberries, pineapple, and gingersnap cookies.
      Creamy Piña Colada Fruit Dip
    • Two glasses of orange mojito mocktails sit on a platter with fresh mint. A bowl of limes sits in the background.
      Blood Orange Mojito Mocktails
    • Several containers of different dipping sauces are laid out for shrimp.
      11 Easy Dipping Sauce Recipes for Shrimp
    • A bowl of homemade chunky peach salsa has a blue spoon for serving.
      Sweet and Spicy Peach Salsa

    Easy-Prep Pirate Party Games for Kids

    With the food all planned and out of the way, the next thing to prep ahead is a few simple pirate-themed party games for the kids to play. This is where we really had the most fun.

    Pirate party games for kids: Play treasure hunt, fish for coins, and have a swashbuckling good time.

    I stocked up on a few simple pirate-themed toys from Melissa & Doug and then turned them into super-easy games for the kids.

    1. HIDDEN TREASURE GAME

    This was by far the kids' favorite game. I bought this pirate's treasure box and used all the little elements for different parts of the party.

    I filled the treasure box with little baggies filled with the party goodies (plastic rings and assorted "pirate treasure" from the party store.) Then I hid the treasure box in the yard.

    I planned out 6 spots around our yard where the kids would find clues leading one clue to the next until they found the box. We handed them the first clue and then let them run.

    TIP: Be sure to hide the box far away from where the rest of the clues are so they don't find it by accident. We put ours around the side of the house with most of the clues in the backyard.

    2. FISH FOR TREASURE GAME

    I filled up our water table for the party and then dropped in all the plastic coins from the treasure chest set.

    We "blindfolded" each player with a double-set of pirate eye patches and handed them a fishing net. They were each given a minute to try and catch as many coins with the net as they could. 

    Drop the coins back in the water before the next player. The one who catches the most coins wins.

    Supplies we used:

    • This fishing net
    • Eye patch from this pirate costume
    • Second eye patch and plastic coins from this treasure set

    3. DRESS LIKE A PIRATE GAME

    Place a bunch of pirate costume pieces in a pile. Have the players sit in a circle around the clothing. 

    Each player rolls a pair of dice (or a single die depending on the age of the kids), when they roll the birthday pirate's age, they jump up from the circle and try to get dressed in all the pirate costume pieces.

    Meanwhile, the players in the circle continue to pass and roll the dice. When a player rolls the birthday number again, the dresser in the middle has to stop, take off all the costume pieces, and hand them to the next dresser.

    Whoever gets all the costume places on and shouts "ARR, Mateys!" first wins.

    More Fun Party Themes

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    • Two young girls wearing red, white, and blue tees are holding fresh slices of watermelon at a backyard BBQ party.
      31 Backyard BBQ Party Recipes
    • A blue birthday cake has pink flamingo candles on top.
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    • A collage of party decorations and ideas for hosting a Valentine's Day cookie decorating party.
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    More Creative Party Themes

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    • A photo collage shows a brunch table with fresh flowers and candles and a few sample recipes below.
      26 Best Mother's Day Brunch Recipes

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    1. Jen

      September 08, 2013 at 11:01 am

      Where did you get the skull sticker/seal that you put on the red goody bags?

      Reply
      • Tiffany Dahle

        September 09, 2013 at 11:38 am

        Hi Jen,

        I got the stickers from Minted. If you sign up for an account with this link, you'll get $25 off your first order: http://www.minted.com/referral/landing/aq9vny

        The stickers themselves are found here: http://www.minted.com/product/scalloped-stickers/MIN-5H4-PSS/argh-pirates?utm_source=pinterest

        They have a ton of cute pirate stuff there for decorating.

        Hope that helps!

        Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Games & Goodies for a Pirate Party – Our Blog says:
      August 16, 2016 at 10:18 am

      […] see the easy and delicious menu for party snacks and treats for our pirate bash, you can find them over at Peanut Blossom. All that treasure hunting sure […]

      Reply
    2. Little Pea Turns 3 » Peanut Blossom says:
      May 6, 2013 at 12:48 pm

      [...] to demand request a mermaid party. Though at this age we don’t do a big friend party like we did for the Peanut, we do make our family-only celebration extra [...]

      Reply
    3. The Melissa & Doug Ultimate Birthday Bash! - Melissa & Doug Blog says:
      April 17, 2013 at 3:41 pm

      [...] Tropical Treats for a Pirate Birthday Party [...]

      Reply
    4. Games & Goodies for a Pirate Party - Melissa & Doug Blog says:
      April 17, 2013 at 3:01 pm

      [...] see the easy and delicious menu for party snacks and treats for our pirate bash, you can find them over at Peanut Blossom. All that treasure hunting sure [...]

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Tiffany!
    I believe a great family recipe is one that makes everyone at the table happy, not just the kids. I'm the author of two bestselling cookbooks for kids that are chock full of recipes everyone in your family will love. I'm also the hostess of the best online book club for moms.

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